Terminologies in Oral Pathology

wow a whole bunch of terms!

Diagnosis arrived at after history taking and clinical examination but before any investigations

Provisional diagnosis

Process of identifying a particular disease process by differentiating it from all other pathologic processes that may have similar signs and symptoms or clinical course

Differential diagnosis

Diagnosis arrived after all the data has been collected, analyzed and subjected to logical thought.

Final diagnosis

Prediction of the course, duration and termination of a disease and the likelihood of its response to treatment

Prognosis

Systemic visual assessment of the patient

Inspection

Method of examining with the hands using the sense of touch

Palpation

Technique of striking the tissues with the fingers or an instrument so that the examiner may listen to the resulting sounds or note the response of the patient to such action

Percussion

Technique of listening to sounds produced in the body using a stethoscope

Auscultation

Morphologically altered tissue with objective signs of disease

Lesion

Any change in the body or its function that is perceptible to the patient and may indicate a disease

Symptom

Any change in the body or its function that is perceptible to a trained observer and may indicate a specific disease

Sign

Exaggerated response to any stimulus which otherwise would not have caused the same degree of response

Hypersensitivity

Acute inflammatory reaction localized within the tissue and associated with tissue destruction and liquefaction as well as pus formation

Abscess

Acute inflammation which spreads diffusely through the tissue spaces and along tissue planes and usually either suppurative or non-suppurative in nature

Cellulitis

The edema fluid produced by certain inflammatory reactions having a higher specific gravity and a higher protein content

Exudate

The edema fluid produced by certain non-inflammatory conditions having a low specific gravity and a low protein content

Transudate

Well-circumscribed flat area of altered coloration varying in size from a pinhead to several centimeters

Macule

Small, well-circumscribed solid, elevated lesion less than 5 mm in diameters

Papule

Well-circumscribed solid, elevated lesion more than 5 mm in diameter

Nodule

Superficial, flat, solid, and often white or whitish patch on the mouth’s soft tissues that cannot be easily rubbed off

Plaque

Small, well-circumscribed fluid-filled lesion less than 5 mm in diameter

Vesicle

Well-circumscribed fluid-filled lesion larger than 5 mm in diameter

Bulla

Well-circumscribed pus-filled lesion smaller than 5 mm in diameter

Pustule

Break in the epithelium extending to but not involving the basal cell layer

Erosion

Break in the continuity of the entire epithelium with the resultant exposure of the underlying connective tissue

Ulcer

Identify the descriptive term for this lesion

Pedunculated

Identify the descriptive term for this lesion

Sessile

Identify the descriptive term for this lesion

Diffuse

Identify the descriptive term for this lesion

Coalescing

Identify the descriptive term for this lesion

Exophytic

Identify the descriptive term for this lesion

Cheesy